Craig David Tickets

Short Biography

Craig David, one of the UK music scene’s most successful male solo exports ever, is coming to Australia for three explosive shows in March 2013. From a UK Garage pioneer to a mainstream multi-million seller, Craig David is so much more than your average artist.

The Southampton born singer is a truly exceptional individual who transcends the norm, consistently outdoes expectation and continues to push musical boundaries. It’s incredible to consider what he’s achieved during his ten year career. From Ivor Novello awards to sales of over 13 million, 2 No.1’s, 13 Top 10 hits, huge success in America and sold out shows across the world,

Craig is one of the UK music scene’s most successful male solo exports. As well as awards, acclaim, platinum sales and sold-out tours, the singer/songwriter is one of a handful of artists able to balance incredible commercial success with can’t-pay-for-it credibility. In addition to albums sold and awards won, Craig has helped redefine British pop music. Years before Tinchy, Chipmunk or N-Dubz arrived on Radio 1, Craig brought everything from UK garage, to stripped back acoustics and electro-edged R&B to the UK charts.

His 13 top 10 singles, including Fill Me In, 7 Days, Walking Away, What’s Your Flava, Hot Stuff (‘Let’s Dance’), and the incredible duet with Sting, Rise And Fall, established Craig as an indisputable commercial success, and proved that British urban music had the power to go pop. Both the record industry and music fans acknowledged Craig’s contributions with three Ivor Novellos, (including the two highly prestigious awards for Songwriter Of The Year and Best Contemporary Song), four MOBOs, two MTV EMA awards and three sold-out shows at Wembley Arena, plus multiple Brit and Grammy award nominations. Proving his popularity has far from faded, last year, MTV viewers voted Craig’s Born To Do It the second Greatest Album Ever in MTV history, just behind Michael Jackson’s Thriller. As well as his work in music, Craig has received a number of life affirming honours during his career. Southampton Solent University awarded Craig an Honorary Doctorate of Music, and on 24 March 2010, he was appointed as a UN Goodwill Ambassador for the Stop TB Partnership. He was also part of the celebrity Desert Trek team who walked 100km across the Northern Kenya desert to raise awareness and money for Comic Relief in February 2011.

Craig David has toured the world, not only to perform as an artist, but also having been invited to contribute towards, and become involved with diverse and internationally distinguished events. Last year, Craig was invited to be a special guest on the judging panel for both the Miss Ukraine final (alongside Paris Hilton and Wladimir Klitschko), and the finals of South African Idol – performing at both. In 2012, Craig continued to collaborate with a number of artists, and released tracks with internationally acclaimed DJ Erick Morillo and Italian superstars Stereo Palma. Craig has also more recently returned to his childhood love of DJ-ing to present TS5. TS5 began in the comforts of Craig’s own home where he would host to one of Miami’s most exclusive pre-parties. His skills and set were loved by everyone in attendance, and became so popular that clubs around the world wanted to bring Craig over to DJ for their biggest nights. It wasn’t long before

Craig’s DJ sets attracted the interest of Kiss FM, where Craig now occupies a weekly residency, bringing the intimacy of his Miami parties to the airwaves every Sunday night. Craig is currently working on his next highly anticipated studio album. Craig last played to Australian audiences on a sell-out national arena tour in 2003. After ten long years, fans will go wild at the chance to see him again. Don’t miss your chance to see this superstar who will be performing all of his hits in this energy-packed, must-see live show!

A Craig David concert is an experience that audiences will never forget! Saturday March 30 Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre, The Plenary ticketmaster.com.au

In-depth Biography
During a period of three years, Craig David transitioned from aspiring songwriter and DJ to major U.K. pop star. When his meringue-smooth, garage-tinged R&B single “Fill Me In” reached the top of the U.K. chart during the summer of 2000, the singer, only 19 years old at the time, became the youngest British male solo artist to achieve the feat. Not only that, but he also achieved mainstream U.S. acceptance and platinum sales in 18 additional countries. Though he did not sustain that level of popularity, David released solid modern R&B albums every few years and also took a look to the past with a reverent set of Motown covers.

Prior to his breakthrough, David, a native of Southampton, was a local radio jock and later found himself spinning records at clubs, which enabled him to cross paths with some of England’s up-and-coming producers. It was during this time that he hooked up with Artful Dodger's Mark Hill, but his first real break came when he won a songwriting contest held by the group Damage, who recorded “I’m Ready,” the track he submitted, and released it as a B-side to their 1997 single “Wonderful Tonight.” Two years later, Artful Dodger produced and wrote the mellow yet rhythmically tricky “Rewind,” for which David provided the lead vocal -- the release was billed as “Artful Dodger Presents Craig David” -- and the song went to number two on the U.K. pop chart.

The release of David’s first proper solo single, “Fill Me In,” came in April 2000. A collaboration with Hill, the song went to number one and propelled sales of Born to Do It, the debut album issued four months later. A subsequent stateside deal with Atlantic also fostered worldwide sales of well over three million and helped take U.K. garage beyond a national phenomenon (if as a polished, smoothed-out product relative to the style’s beginnings). U.S. superstars Missy Elliott, Beyoncé, and Usher called themselves fans, and David won three MOBO (Music of Black Origin) awards, though he was snubbed in each of the six Brit Award categories for which he was nominated.

Slicker Than Your Average, ironically a slightly grittier album, was issued as David’s second album in November 2002. It would have been nearly impossible to trump the popularity of Born to Do It, but the album’s first four singles all reached the U.K. Top Ten. The U.S. was still paying attention; the album reached gold sales there. Nearly three years passed until the release of The Story Goes…, a set for Warner filled with polite, adult-leaning contemporary R&B. It featured a Top Five U.K. single in “All the Way,” but the album was not released in the States. The bolder, more upbeat Trust Me, led by the Top Ten, David Bowie-sampling “Hot Stuff (Let’s Dance)” and the Kano collaboration “This Is the Girl,” was his lowest-selling album to date. Following a Greatest Hits compilation, David issued Signed, Sealed, Delivered, an album of Motown covers, in 2010. ~ Andy Kellman & MacKenzie Wilson, Rovi